Interactionist Approach

• Support - Tienari found a child-rearing style characterised by high levels of criticism and conflict and low levels of empathy was implicated in the development of schizophrenia, but only for the children with high genetic risk. The interviewing psychiatrists were kept blind as to whether the mother had been Sz or not. This meant that the influence of researcher bias was removed, allowing for a more valid judgement in the interviews.
• Unclear - Don’t understand how the symptoms of Sz appear and how the diathesis (vulnerability) and stress work together to produce them. Can’t use it to prevent Sz in those with a genetic diathesis. / Effective practical applications. Tarrier randomly allocated 315 patients to a medication and CBT group, medication and supportive counselling group or control group (medication only). Patients in the two combination groups showed lower symptom levels than those in the control group. 
• Original is Oversimplified - We now know that Sz is polygenic. Also, the stressor can come in many forms, not exclusively dysfunctional parenting. Vulnerability in the new model can also result from childhood trauma and stressor can be biological e.g. sexual trauma = vulnerability and cannabis use = trigger- Houston. Original theory is reductionist.
• Diathesis-stress model


  Refers to stressful events that occur close to the onset of Schizophrenia as being triggers for the disorder
• Stressors earlier in life

  Can influence how people respond to later stressful events and increase their future susceptibility to Schizophrenia
• Hamman's argument


  Certain methods of coping with stress in childhood means that the individual fails to develop effective coping skills, which in turn increases vulnerability to Schizophrenia
• Ineffective coping skills


  Make life generally more stressful for the individual and so trigger mental illness